Case C-587/22: Judgment of the Court (Seventh Chamber) of 7 December 2023 — European Commission v Hungary (Failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations — Environment — Directive 91/271/EEC — Treatment of urban waste water — Article 3 — Collecting systems — Individual systems — Article 4 — Secondary or equivalent treatment — Article 5 — Sensitive areas — Article 15 — Monitoring of discharges)
Date: 2023-12-07
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: environmental protection, infringement of EU law, national implementing measure, pollution control measures, regions of Hungary, wastewater, water treatment








C_202400924EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2024/924


29.1.2024





Judgment of the Court (Seventh Chamber) of 7 December 2023 — European Commission v Hungary
(Case C-587/22) (1)

(Failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations - Environment - Directive 91/271/EEC - Treatment of urban waste water - Article 3 - Collecting systems - Individual systems - Article 4 - Secondary or equivalent treatment - Article 5 - Sensitive areas - Article 15 - Monitoring of discharges)
(C/2024/924)
Language of the case: Hungarian

Parties


Applicant: European Commission (represented by: E. Sanfrutos Cano and A. Sipos, acting as Agents)

Defendant: Hungary (represented by: Zs. Biró-Tóth and M.Z. Fehér, acting as Agents)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Declares that by failing to take the necessary measures to ensure that the agglomerations of Békés, of Dabas, of Dunavarsány, of Hódmezővásárhely, of Keszthely, of Kéthely, of Kiskunhalas, of Köröm, of Marcali, of Mezőtúr, of Nagykőrös, of Pilisvörösvár, of Soltvadkert, of Szécsény, of Szentendre, of Szentes, of Szigetszentmiklós, of Tököl, of Tolna, of Veresegyház, of Zalaegerszeg and of Zalakaros are provided with collecting systems for urban waste water and connections to those systems, Hungary has failed to fulfil its obligations under Articles 3 and 10 of Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment;










2.


Declares that by failing to take the measures necessary to ensure that, in the agglomerations of Békés, of Dabas, of Dunavarsány, of Hódmezővásárhely, of Keszthely, of Kéthely, of Kiskunhalas, of Köröm, of Marcali, of Mezőtúr, of Nagykőrös, of Pilisvörösvár, of Soltvadkert, of Szécsény, of Szentendre, of Szentes, of Szigetszentmiklós, of Tököl, of Tolna, of Veresegyház, of Zalaegerszeg and of Zalakaros, urban waste water entering collecting systems is, before discharge, subject to secondary treatment or an equivalent treatment, Hungary has failed to fulfil its obligations under Articles 4 and 10 of Directive 91/271;










3.


Declares that by failing to take the measures necessary to ensure that, in the agglomerations of Keszthely, of Kéthely, of Marcali, of Zalaegerszeg and of Zalakaros, urban waste water entering collecting systems is, before discharge, subject to more stringent treatment than secondary treatment, Hungary has failed to fulfil its obligations under Articles 5 and 10 of Directive 91/271;










4.


Dismisses the action as to the remainder;










5.


Orders Hungary to bear, in addition to its own costs, three quarters of the Commission’s costs;










6.


Orders the Commission to bear one quarter of its own costs.






(1)  
            OJ C 398, 17.10.2022.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/924/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)